Drama Workshops

Guildford Shakespeare Company

Whatever you're studying - Shakespeare, Greek classics or modern texts - our bespoke practical workshops will get your students up on their feet experiencing these wonderful works in an engaging and thought-provoking manner. We have a range of workshops for primary schools wishing to explore a story and its characters to A-Level students looking to benefit from the insight of professional actors.

Our team of experienced facilitators and professional actors deliver our workshops, bringing a range of techniques from the ‘rehearsal room’ to explore themes, characters, scenarios and use of language.

“All the pupils and staff commented on how enjoyable the workshops were and how brilliant the leaders were. This is the second year that we have had GSC in to work with our pupils and I think that it will be an annual event.” Joy Mowat, Teacher Of English, Trevelyan Middle School

Over the last few years, we have been inundated with positive comments from schools. 100% of teachers said they would recommend GSC to other schools.

You can browse our range of workshops below.

STUDY WORKSHOPS

Ideal for: Students preparing for exams and essays, language exploration.

“The students found it stimulating and relevant. Many felt it gave them more ammunition to tackle their exams with.” Gerry Cirillo, Hampton Court House School

Our professional facilitator will lead your students through a series of practical exercises, designed to explore your selected play’s themes, language or characters of your choice. Exercises will be taken from those used in the rehearsal room to enable participants to practically unlock the text.

PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP

Ideal for: Large groups, students studying complete plays.

Details: 80 minute workshop, £750; for a whole year group (up to 120 students. £6.25 per pupil after); One facilitator and 3 actors

“Having worked with other companies in the past my colleagues and I were so impressed by the actors. We would definitely love to have you back next year!” Katelyn Al-Dabagh, Calthorpe Park School

Our facilitator explains key quotes and context, as the actors, using the original text, deliver an abridged version of your chosen play. Students take small roles within the performance, acting alongside our professionals, whilst others are invited to redirect the actors in key scenes. The session concludes with a Q&A session with the cast and leader.

INTERPRETATION WORKSHOPS

Ideal for: GCSE and A Level students.

Details: 2 hour workshop, £500; up to 30 students (£6.25 per pupil after); one facilitator and 2 actors

“Both the teachers and students thoroughly enjoyed the workshop. The way the play’s story was conveyed to the children was excellent.” Maria Benjafield, Class Teacher, Pirbright Village Primary School

Our facilitator and actors lead your students through different interpretations of your play’s key scenes. The students perform with the actors to further understand the dynamics of live theatre. Students are also encouraged to direct the actors to fully explore the different possibilities of the play in performance.

“There was clear focus on the dramatic elements of the play, but rooted in the text itself, which was perfect for the GCSE candidates. The dramatic scenes make so much more sense now.” Jonathan Parsons, Tormead School

Our facilitator presents an interactive, modern language, story-based version of your chosen play. All the children will put a key scene on its feet and perform it to the rest of the group. A great way to encourage multiple groups to engage with Shakespeare’s stories and characters, and are popular with add-on workshops.

Impact

Our workshops are designed to engage children and provide them with first-hand experience, with impacts that stretch into the rest of their school life.

Participants were monitored throughout recent workshops project to measure the impact on learning. Teachers were asked to assess their students’ ability-level before and after the workshop. The percentage level below shows the average improvement made in all students (years 7-11).

Questions regarding student impact included:
• How confident are your students with Shakespeare’s written text? (71%)
• How confident are your students with the play as a performance piece? (73%)
• How confident are your students speaking Shakespeare? (66%)
• How engaged are your students in the classroom? (47%)
• How confident are your students expressing their ideas in the classroom? (51%)

“The GSC workshops have been brilliant. Our hope, when we embarked on this project, was that our students would feel more confident and this hope has been fulfilled. During the workshops, students show a keen interest and engagement with the material, but more impressive is the impact noticed in lessons.”
Head of English, Kings College Guildford